Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' new acting superintendent, Melissa Balknight, submitted her retirement notice eight days before the board tapped her to lead the district.

The district confirmed Balknight's retirement plans on Monday, Sept. 14, with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2027, WBTV reported. Eight days later, on Tuesday, Sept. 22, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) Board of Education voted 5-4 to fire Superintendent Crystal Hill and named Balknight acting superintendent.

The timeline raises an immediate question for families at Ardrey Kell, Ballantyne Ridge and other Ballantyne-area schools: who will run the district after Jan. 1?

No one has answered that yet. The Charlotte Observer reported it was not clear whether Balknight would stay through the end of the school year. No superintendent search timeline or next steps have been announced.

Board members Charlitta Hatch, Dee Rankin, Liz Monterrey Duvall, Stephanie Sneed and Shamaiye Haynes voted to fire Hill. Monty Witherspoon, Cynthia Stone, Anna London and Lenora Shipp voted against.

Balknight is not the only senior leader heading for the exits. Chief Financial Officer Kelly Kluttz and Chief Operations Officer Tim Ivey are also set to retire Jan. 1, 2027. Chief Human Resources Officer Angela Wood resigned Sept. 14, according to WBTV.

The wave of departures compounds what board member Witherspoon called a broken board. "This board has spiraled into chaos. This board is dysfunctional. The board is broken," Witherspoon said at the Sept. 22 meeting, according to the Charlotte Observer.

Hill had served as superintendent since January 2023. She was the district's sixth superintendent since 2012, according to WCNC. The board fired her "for convenience," meaning no specific misconduct was cited. Under her contract, Hill is entitled to one year of salary: $340,770.

An investigation into Hill released the same night found no evidence of improper conduct by the superintendent, according to WBTV. That investigation cost taxpayers more than $379,000.

Balknight previously filled in as acting superintendent for several weeks during Hill's paid suspension over the summer. Hill was placed on leave June 17 and reinstated Aug. 11, days before the school year began.

The board also reshuffled its own leadership Sept. 22. Sneed stepped down as board chair but kept her seat. Rankin, the former vice chair, became chair. Monterrey Duvall took over as vice chair.

Board member Stone, who voted against the firing, warned at the Sept. 22 meeting that the move could backfire. "Just seems to me the wrong time to change horses; it just seems to me that what we are doing is creating our own problems," Stone said, as first reported by The Charlotte Ledger.

Separately, Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather III requested a formal criminal investigation on Friday, Sept. 18, into alleged financial irregularities involving CMS transactions.

The board has not announced a date for its next meeting or any public comment period on the superintendent vacancy.